Super Easy Artisan Bread

I am sure most of you have already heard of this cool recipe, but I was a little slow to get it. It all started with a New York Times peice with Jim Lahey---from Sullivan Street Bakery. The video has been all over the internet ever since. I am sure you can still see it if you google "no-Knead Bread". It is amazingly simple and just SOOOOOO good. The first time I made it I was so excited--I just couldn't believe how great it turned out. It tasted just like a loaf of artisan bread I would have picked up from some speciality bakery. I have since had great results using half wheat flour and using wheat bran to sprinkle on the outside. Also--the recipe says to use a 6-8 qt pot--I used my Le Creuset 4 1/2 Qt pot. It worked great!! Try it--it is amazing--you will be so proud of yourself for making something so perfect and easy!!

No-Knead Bread
Submitted by Melanie Christensen
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.